San Francisco buys vodka shots for homeless alcoholics in taxpayer-funded program

The City of San Francisco’s Managed Alcohol Program

The City of San Francisco is providing free beer and vodka shots to homeless alcoholics at taxpayer expense under a little-known pilot program. 

Introduction

The “Managed Alcohol Program” operated by San Francisco’s Department of Public Health serves regimented doses of alcohol to voluntary participants with alcohol addiction in an effort to keep the homeless off the streets and relieve the city’s emergency services. Experts say the program can save or extend lives, but critics wonder if the government would be better off funding treatment and sobriety programs instead.

About the Managed Alcohol Program

“Established in countries such as Canada and Australia, a managed alcohol program is usually administered by a nurse and trained support staff in a facility such as a homeless shelter or a transitional or permanent home, and is one method to minimize harm for those with alcohol use disorder,” the California Health Care Foundation explains in an 2020 article describing the pilot program. 

“By prescribing limited quantities of alcohol, the model aims to prevent potentially life-threatening effects of alcohol withdrawal, such as seizures and injuries.” 

Expansion and Services

The San Francisco managed alcohol program, or MAP, was established during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent vulnerable homeless people who were placed in isolation in hotel rooms from suffering from alcohol withdrawal. But the program, which started with 10 beds, has since been expanded into a 20-bed program that operates out of a former hotel in Tenderloin with a $5 million annual budget, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Alice Moughamian, the Nurse Manger of the Managed Alcohol Program and the San Francisco Sobering Center, explained in an October presentation that nurses provide clients with a motel room, three meals a day, and enough alcohol “to meet their addiction needs, but keeping someone at a safe level of intoxication.” 

Initial success in stabilizing alcoholic patients prompted health officials to expand the pilot into a long-term program with 10 beds earmarked for “the Latinx and indigenous population,” while 12 additional beds are supported at the city’s traditional sobering center, Moughamian said. 

Bryce Bridge, a social worker involved with the program, said during the presentation that once a client is identified as having alcohol abuse problems and admitted, they are assessed to determine individual needs. Clients are connected to a primary care doctor, provided resources to secure government identification if they lack a social security card or other documents and assisted with psychiatric care, wellness activities on site and other evidence-based treatments. 

Program Activities and Criticisms

“We actually connect them to different community-based organizations that assist us with conducting art groups, and poetry groups and just kind of help them explore ways that they can express themselves,” Bridge said. 

Bridge also said marijuana use is “fairly common in our sites” and said there is no policy prohibiting marijuana consumption, though health providers monitor that activity to prevent ill health effects or interpersonal conflicts. 

While relatively unknown until now, the program is under fresh scrutiny after Adam Nathan, CEO of an AI company and chair of the Salvation Army San Francisco, made several social media posts criticizing what he witnessed at the location. 

“Inside the lobby, they had a kegs [sic] set up to taps where they were basically giving out free beer to the homeless who’ve been identified with AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder),” Nathan wrote on X after visiting the hotel in Tenderloin where homeless alcoholics are served.

“The whole thing is very odd to me and just doesn’t feel right. Providing free drugs to drug addicts doesn’t solve their problems. It just stretches them out. Where’s the recovery in all this?” he asked. 

Public health officials called some of Nathan’s claims misleading. In a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, the health department said alcohol is dispensed by a nurse and homeless people who aren’t participating can’t just walk in to the facility and get a free beer. The program operates in a former Tenderloin tourist hotel that has a bar, but on-site taps are “inoperable and unused,” the statement reportedly said. 

Still, the program has also received criticism from none other than San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who said in February that harm reduction was “not reducing harm” but “making things far worse.” 

“Are we just going to manage people’s addictions with our taxpayer dollars in perpetuity forever? It seems like that’s basically what we’re saying,” said Tom Wolf, who is in recovery for heroin addiction, in a statement to the Chronicle. “I think we should be spending that money on detox and recovery.” 

Impact and Results

San Francisco health officials say the program has saved $1.7 million over six months in reduced hospital visits and police calls made by participants who previously heavily relied on emergency services. Officials said that after clients entered the program, visits to the city’s sobering center dropped 92%, emergency room visits declined more than 70%, and EMS calls and hospital visits were both cut in half, the Chronicle reported.

City officials have previously said that just five residents who struggled with alcohol addiction had cost the city more than $4 million in ambulance transports over a five-year period, with as many as 2,000 ambulance transports during that time, according to the Chronicle.

The San Francisco Fire Department has spoken positively about the program, telling the outlet the managed alcohol program “has proven to be an incredibly impactful intervention” at reducing emergency service use for a “small but highly vulnerable population.” 

International Adoption of Managed Alcohol Programs

Other countries, including Canada, Portugal and the U.K. have adopted managed alcohol programs at a much faster pace than the U.S. Canada has more than 40 such programs, according to the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. 

A 2022 study of Canada’s managed alcohol programs found that homeless people suffering from severe alcoholism had a reduced risk of death and fewer hospital stays after participating.

Conclusion

The San Francisco Managed Alcohol Program

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The issues highlighted in the article are related to the health and well-being of homeless individuals with alcohol addiction in San Francisco, as well as the efforts to address homelessness in the city.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services, and upgrade slums
• SDG 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

The article mentions efforts to provide alcohol to homeless individuals with alcohol addiction in a controlled manner to prevent harmful effects of alcohol withdrawal. This aligns with the target under SDG 3.5. The article also discusses the provision of housing and basic services to homeless individuals, which relates to the target under SDG 11.1. Additionally, the article mentions the use of a former hotel for the managed alcohol program, which could be seen as an effort to upgrade slums, aligning with target SDG 11.4.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Number of participants in the managed alcohol program
• Reduction in alcohol-related emergency room visits
• Reduction in police calls made by program participants
• Reduction in ambulance transports for individuals struggling with alcohol addiction
• Reduction in visits to the city’s sobering center
• Reduction in hospital stays for homeless individuals with severe alcoholism

The article mentions that the managed alcohol program has led to a decrease in emergency room visits, police calls, and ambulance transports for program participants. These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the targets related to reducing the harmful effects of alcohol use and improving the well-being of homeless individuals.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: foxnews.com

Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.